Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

I think it was just time for them to start laying. Some of them are late March or early April babies. I would guess 4 eggs a year is about average from them.

 

[scandiafowl]

Welcome to all the newbies to the MN BYC... This site and the people here are the best, there is lots to learn and even to just have small talk and enjoy each others conversation its not always about just chickens... AND  Ralphies Great Wisdom,,*cough cough*,,,,

Ralphie just think with all the new people Camp Day next year should be packed  might have to set up 2 plucking stations...you might have to start taking reservation soon...

Coffee, do you need some whiskey ( or chamomile tea) for your cough?

 

[MagpieDucks]

I am so excited!! I get to right the duck breed focus and use my own pics!!!

I've started 2 duck breed focuses too and I hope that you would post on one1!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

About egg plucking in the winter. As many times a day as you can. At least twice a day. And I must Say too that if your nest boxes are within the coop that helps. I didn't really research my coop and my nest boxes are like an appendage to the outside of the coop and I think having them within the main walls may have saved me a few cracked/frozen eggs. Cluckies uses a pet heating mat in her nests under the nesting materials.

HA! Scandia...North of the Mason Dixon line...? I would say Iowa Border myself...LOL.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I hear you there Ralphie. You'll have to make a crown out of those precious eggs!

 

[scandiafowl]

About egg plucking in the winter.  As many times a day as you can.  At least twice a day.  And I must Say too that if your nest boxes are within the coop that helps.  I didn't really research my coop and my nest boxes are like an appendage to the outside of the coop and I think having them within the main walls may have saved me a few cracked/frozen eggs.  Cluckies uses a pet heating mat in her nests under the nesting materials. 

HA! Scandia...North of the Mason Dixon line...?  I would say Iowa Border myself...LOL.   

I was trying, albeit failing miserably, to be respectful of our brethren in Iowa.
*grin*

 

[Rich55016]

Sounds like you have a great flock.

We all struggle with what to do for winter. I am trying to keep my waterers outside this year. I want to avoid the spillage and mess inside.  I need to get some hay bales and us them as insulation and wind breaks. I am not sure my ideas will work but last year my coops were too damp.

When you get advice on here about winter watering, I caution you to check the locale the poster is from. Most places do not have our winters and they have little understanding of our hardships with water. They will all tell you what works, when they have never experienced 30 below.

Yeah, that's way I figured I would ask here. I am going go cover my run 14'x24'x24'x16', and put Polly all the way around the sides. My chickens can go under my coop, so I will put straw bails around it. All my water is outside my coop right now and I would like to keep it that way. I like the idea of the nipples because the water should stay cleaner, waste less, so I shouldn't have to fill and clean it as often. The ones I got are spring loaded so the don't drip like the gravity one, that's why I figure if the water is warm enough they shouldn't freeze. What do you think? I could always add another pipe and a pump, then the water would be moving and not have a chance to freeze.

 

[Cluckies]

I figured this would be a great place to ask this because I am from MN. Do any of you use horizontal water nipples in the winter here? If so what does yours look like or what are you using for a heater? This is my first winter with chickens. Sorry if this is not the correct place to ask. Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome to BYC and the thread!

Yes, I use a heated waterer with horizontal nipples in the winter for one of my waterers. I use a 2 gallon pail (easier for me to carry than a 5 gallon pail and I only have 5 chickens) At first I used an aquarium heater as stated in the thread I'll post below. Then I switched to a bird bath deicer from Fleet Farm, I thought maybe the aquarium heater was over kill (but if it is 30 below, it might be needed?) This waterer didn't freeze last year with the current set up (deicer and water pump), I did bring it in overnight on very cold nights. I couln't remember if I ever left it out, but I think I did and it was fine. Make sure and touch the nipples to besure they are not frozen. I also use the miniature pond pump mentioned, got that from Harbor Freight. (peeps here are probably sick of seeing it), but here it is:



DIY Instructions for Very easy heated waterer you'll see in the first post he switched to horizontal nipples. The thread is a wealth of information. trial and error...

reading through that thread I mentioned in one that it worked at -24.

Here is the other thread on it, this one is more specific. This one is a quick read!

 

[duluthralphie]

BC, Having visited the Cream Legbar thread (did I say that right?) I wonder where they get their creamettes from. They all talk about what great layers they are and how they get 250 eggs a year from them.

Maybe they failed math or when they removed the sense of humor node, they took counting skills as well.

 

[duluthralphie]

Yeah, that's way I figured I would ask here. I am going go cover my run 14'x24'x24'x16', and put Polly all the way around the sides. My chickens can go under my coop, so I will put straw bails around it. All my water is outside my coop right now and I would like to keep it that way. I like the idea of the nipples because the water should stay cleaner, waste less, so I shouldn't have to fill and clean it as often. The ones I got are spring loaded so the don't drip like the gravity one, that's why I figure if the water is warm enough they shouldn't freeze. What do you think? I could always add another pipe and a pump, then the water would be moving and not have a chance to freeze.

Interesting, I bought some nipples bt I could not get the chicken to use them. I use drinking cups and they barely use them. BTW The spring loaded drinking cups are great the others not so much.